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Isabella (Civ5)
Isabella I of Castile (22 April 1451 - 26 November 1504) was the queen of Castile and León from 1474 to 1504. In-Game Isabella is the leader of the Spanish in Civilization V and speaks the Modern Castilian Spanish language. She is standing in the garden of her Moorish style palace, likely the famous Alhambra. She carries a Christian Cross, which she drops in shock when she is defeated. Capital: Madrid Unique Units: Tercio, Conquistador Unique Ability: Seven Cities of Gold Voice Actress: Uncredited AI Traits Personality and Behavior Isabella tends to go for a domination victory. She will rarely attempt a diplomatic victory or a scientific victory, though. Isabella is not too bold, but can be hostile and declare many wars. It's also quite difficult to befriend Isabella, although she will not backstab as often. Isabella likes to build a massive number of naval units and also one of the better offensive armies, but a rather small defensive militia. Isabella places importance on expanding her empire and also takes a priority on getting as much gold as possible and spreading the religion founded by her empire. Isabella will often try to demand tribute from city-states rather than befriending or protecting them. Civilopedia Entry History Isabella I was Queen of Castile and León for 30 years, and with her husband Ferdinand, laid the groundwork for the consolidation of Spain. For her role in the Spanish unification, patronage of Columbus' voyage to America, and ending of the Reconquista (recapturing) of the Iberian Peninsula, Isabella is regarded as one of the most beloved and important monarchs in the Spanish crown. Early Years Isabella was born on April 22, 1451 in Avila to John II of Castile and Isabella of Portugal. She had an older brother, Henry (her elder by 26 years), and later a younger brother Alfonso, who displaced her in the line of succession. When her father died in 1454, Henry took the throne of Castile as King Henry IV, and Isabella and her family moved to Arevalo and lived in a destitute castle, where her mother slowly started to lose her sanity. It wasn’t until years later, when Henry’s wife gave birth, that Henry allowed his siblings to move back to the main court in Segovia. Here Isabella was educated in all manners of queenly disciplines and her life improved considerably, but Henry put one limiting condition on her-she was forbidden to leave Segovia without his permission. Henry claimed this was to keep Isabella from the political turmoil brewing in the kingdom over his choice of heir (his new daughter Joanna), but it could have also been to restrict her access to the rebelling noblemen. The nobles, however, had no problem speaking with her younger brother Alfonso, and he instigated the Second Battle of Olmedo in 1467, demanding that he be made Henry’s heir. As a compromise, Henry named Alfonso the Prince of Asturias, a title that would be given to the heir apparent of both Castile and León, and thought about marrying his daughter Joanna to Alfonso. But Alfonso didn’t have long to enjoy his new role; he soon died, probably a casualty of the plague. Alfonso had named Isabella his successor in his will, and the title passed to her. Rather than continue toe rebellion against her older brother, Isabella met with Henry at Toros de Guisando and negotiated a permanent peace settlement. Henry would officially name Isabella as his heir, but she would not be allowed to marry without his consent. However, Henry could also not force her to marry against her will. Both parties pleased with their settlement. Henry began his search for a fitting husband for his younger sister. Henry Fails at Matchmaking At this time, Isabella was bethrothed to Ferdinand, son of John II of Aragon (and had been since the age of three), but Henry broke off this agreement. Instead, he attempted to wed Isabella to Charles IV of Navarre, another of John’s sons, but John refused the offer. Soon after in 1464, Henry attempted to marry Isabella off to King Edward IV of England, but Edward also refused. Many attempts were then made to wed the girl to Alfonso V of Portugal, but she refused him at the altar due to his old age. The Castilian’s personal soap opera continued with Isabella’s betrothal to Pedro Giron, the brother of Henry’s favorite Don. Isabella prayed feverishly that the marriage be called off, as Don Pedro was 27 yrs older than she. Isabella fervently believed that God had answered her plea, as the Don died from a burst appendix on the way to greet his fiancée. Next up in Henry’s shrinking line of suitors was Louis XI’s brother Charles, Duke of Berry. At this point Isabella had had enough of Henry’s thinly veiled attempts to remove her from the line of succession with a poor political marriage, and she began to negotiate with John II of Aragon in secret to once again secure a marriage to his son Ferdinand. Ferdinand and the Fight for the Throne Although all parties were in favor of the marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand (except of course for Henry, who was still trying to woo France and Portugal), there was one small problem- the young couple were second cousins. By church law, a Papal Bull was required for a wedding of closely related cousins, but the Pope was loathe to grant one from fear of retribution from Castile, Portugal, and France. However, Isabella refused to marry without the dispensation, as she was by this point a very devout woman. Ferdinand sought the help of Rodrigo Borgia in Rome (later Pope Alexander VI) and presented Isabella with a “Papal Bull” from Pius II. The probably forgery was good enough for her and she quickly agreed to the marriage. With the excuse of visiting her brother’s tomb in Avila, Isabella managed to escape Henry’s sight and Ferdinand slipped into Castile disguised as a merchant. Isabella’s rather Shakespearian journey ended on October 19, 1469 when she wedded Ferdinand in Valladolid. Henry found out about the marriage rather quickly after this, and pleaded with the Pope to dissolve the marriage. The new pope, SIxtus IV, didn’t have any of his predecessor’s qualms about Castilian hostilities and instead gifted the wedded couple a real Papal Bull, thwarting Henry. A few years later in 1474, Henry died and a succession war broke out across castile. Portugal supported Henry’s daughter, Joanna, to take the throne, but Isabella had the support of Aragon (through Ferdinand) and later France. The war dragged on for four years, but ultimately Sixtus IV again came to Isabella’ rescue. The Pope annulled Joanna’s marriage to Alfonso V of Portugal, ironically on the grounds of their close familial relationship. Joanna was forced to renounce her titles of Princess and Queen of Castile, and the throne passed to Isabella on January 20, 1479. The early years of Isabella’s reign mostly involved solidifying her power base and continuing the Reconquista (Recapturing) of the Iberian Peninsula. However, her reign became memorable, in the momentous year of 1492. 1492 Almost everything Isabella is known for in history took place in this year: the end of the Reconquista, the patronage of Chrisotpher Columbus, and the intensification of the Inquisition. Spanning seven centuries, a lengthy war known as the Reconquista was fought by the Iberian monarchs, who were attempting to regain control of the region and force the Muslims out. For the last 200 of these years, the Emirate of Granada remained the final stronghold of the Muslim dynasties on the Iberian Peninsula. Isabella and Ferdinand continued the war and led a determined raid into the kingdom starting in 1482. Isabella often took it upon herself to rally her soldiers by praying in the middle of the battlefield, and even built her stronghold outside the city of Granada in the shape of a cross, believing she was doing God’s will. Eventually Isabella’s forces were victorious and she signed the treaty of Granada, ending the Reconquista after 700 years of fighting. Earlier in her reign, Isabella had been approached by a young explorer by the name of Christopher Columbus, who sought funding for a new expedition to reach the Indies by sailing west. Her advisors judged his plan impractical and believed that his proposed distance to Asia was much too short to be possible. However, instead of turning him out as Portugal had done, Isabella gave him a small annual allowance and free lodging in all her cities. He continued to try and sell his plan to the monarchs, and they continued to decline. Upon returning from Granada, Isabella was again approached by Christopher Columbus. On the advice of her confessor, Isabella this time firmly turned him down. As Columbus was leaving Cordoba in despair, Ferdinand quickly convinced Isabella to change her mind. She sent a royal guard to fetch him and began to draw up plans for funding, Columbus left on his fateful voyage on August 3, 1492, and landed in America on October 12. Isabella and Ferdinand’s patronage of the intrepid explorer began Spain’s Golden Age of exploration and colonization. No One Expects the Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Spain (or more succinctly, the Spanish Inquisition) was established in 1478 by Isabella to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in Castile and Aragon, and to replace the Medieval Inquisition currently under Papal control. However, in 1492, it took a turn for the worse. A Dominican friar, Tomas de Torquemada became the first Inquisitor General and pushed the two monarchs to pursue a more active policy of religious unity. While Isabella was loathe to take harsh measures against the Jews in her kingdom, Torquemada was able to convince Ferdinand and through him, Isabella. The Alhambra Decree was signed on March 31, 1492, calling for the forced expulsion of the Jews. About 200,000 Jews immediately left Spain while some others converted, but this latter group fell under strict scrutiny of the Inquisition. The Muslims in the Granada region, who had originally been granted religious freedoms, were pressured to convert. After many Muslims revolted, a policy was enacted to force conversion or expulsion, much like with the Jews. The Later Years Isabella continued to stabilize her growing empire throughout her reign, and worked to link her children with other European nations, hoping to avoid another succession war similar to her own. She strived to finally unite the Iberian Peninsula under one crown. She married her eldest son to an Austrian Archduchess, establishing a link to the Habsburgs, and her eldest daughter to Manual I of Portugal. However, Isabella’s plans were laid to waste when both children died soon after and the crown passed to her third daughter, Joanna the Mad. Joanna married Philip of Burgundy and became the last Trastamaran monarch. After her, the crown passed to the Habsburgs. Isabella died in 1504 and was entombed in the Royal Chapel of Granada. Legacy in History Under Isabella, Spain was united, the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula concluded, and the power of the region centralized. She also laid the groundwork for the most dominant military machine in the next century (The Armada), reformed the Spanish church, and led the Spanish expansions into the new American colonies. Although many criticize her role in the Inquisition and in the persecution of Jews and Muslims, others are currently campaigning to have the late Queen canonized as a Saint in the Catholic Church. Regardless of her questionable acts persecution others’ religious beliefs, Isabella remains one of the most influential and significant monarchs of Spain. Lines She speaks Spanish with a dialect which is unique to Spain. She uses the "Vosotros" form of verbs, a second-person plural form similar to "Y'all" in dialects of English, such as preparaos, estais, and deciais, which is not heard in Spanish dialects from the Caribbean, Central, and South American Spanish (with the exception of Argentina). The vosotros "you all" is generally used for informal plural, and in modern Spanish implies friendliness or sarcastic antagonism is conveyed, depending on the context; in older Spanish like the kind Isabella uses, the vosotros is used for dignitaries and has an Old World "ye" sense of formality to it that is largely unused in modern Spanish. Intro: God blesses those who deserve it. I am Isabel of Spain. (Dios bendiga an aquellos que lo merezcan. Soy Isabel de España.) Attacked: Repugnant spawn of the devil! You will pay! (¡Repugnante prole del diablo! ¡Lo pagaréis!) Declare War: God will probably forgive you. But I will not. Prepare for war. (Probablemente Dios os perdone. Pero yo no. ¡Preparaos para la guerra!) Defeated: Very well. This is undoubtedly the will of God. And I must accept it. (Muy bien. Esta es sin duda la voluntad de Dios. Y debo aceptarla.) Hate Let's Hear It 01: Onward. (Adelante.) Hate Let's Hear It 02: What were you saying? (¿Qué decías?) Hate Let's Hear It 03: Continue. (Continuad.) Hate Hello: And so? (¿Y bien?) Hate No 01: That is unacceptable. (Eso es inacceptable.) Hate No 02: Of course not. (Desde luego que no.) Hate No 03: Are you mad? (¿Estáis loco?) Hate Yes 01: I agree. (De acuerdo.) Hate Yes 02: Of course. (Desde luego.) Hate Yes 03: I think that I am obliged (to accept). (Creo que es una obligación.) Neutral Let's Hear It 01: Proceed. (Proseguid.) Neutral Let's Hear It 02: Yes? (¿Sí?) Neutral Let's Hear It 03: I am listening. (Estoy escuchando.) Neutral Hello: Greetings. (Saludos) Neutral No 01: Not by before God. (No ante dios.) Neutral No 02: We Refuse. (Rehusamos.) Neutral No 03: Huh? (¿Cómo?) Neutral Yes 01: Very well. (Muy bien.) Neutral Yes 02: Excellent. (Excelente.) Neutral Yes 03: With the blessing of God. (Con la bendición de Dios.) Peaceful: God will bless you for your clemency to the defeated enemy. (Dios os bendecirá a por vuestra clemencia ante el enemigo derrotado.) Request: I hope this deal will receive your blessing. (Espero que este trato reciba su bendición.) Intro Blessed Isabella, servant of God, holy queen of Castile and León! Your people greet and welcome you. You are the ruler of Spain, a beautiful and ancient country at the crossroads of the world between Europe and Africa, one shore on the Mediterranean and the other on the mighty Atlantic ocean. The Spanish are a multicultural people with roots in the Muslim and Christian worlds. A seafaring race, Spanish explorers found and conquered much of the New World, and, for many centuries, its gold and silver brought Spain unrivalled wealth and power, making the Spanish court the envy of the world. O fair and virtuous Isabella! Will you rebuild the Spanish empire and show the world again the greatness of your people? Will you take up the mantle of the holy monarchy, and vanquish your foes under heaven’s watchful eyes? Your adoring subjects await your command! Can you build a civilization that will stand the test of time?